Of Illusions and Sweet Melodies
by PaladinTersias
Summary: Roy saves Edward from a fire, but refuses to tell him that he did so. But what happens when Ed finds out?  Yaoi, Roy/Ed
1. Illusions of Death

**Hehe, I promise this will get better. I just needed a place to start. This fic is going to be a Roy/Ed. Meaning, at some point, there will be some explicit stuff between them. Ah, my favorite part of writing fanfiction... Anywho, I hope you enjoy this, and PLEASE. Review/favorite! **

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><p>"AL!"<p>

The giant suit of armor that was his brother was on fire. The thick, protective metal that had seemed so invincible was melting, leaving nothing behind. Ed charged toward the fire, tears burning hot trails down his face. But he was already too late. _Alphonse, don't you die on me! Don't you fucking die on me!_ He thought frantically. He reached the spot his brother had just been.

Alphonse was gone.

There was a sudden weight around his waist, pulling him harshly from the heat of the fire. Ed was thrown to the ground some ways away, and a shadowy figure stood above him. It was saying something, something that seemed to important but not important at all. The sound was too far to tell the difference. A hand came down on his face, hard, but he barely felt it.

Alphonse was gone.

Darkness clouded his vision, and Edward Elric happily allowed it to happen.

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><p>A ray of sun found it's way through the blinds and right onto Ed's face. He opened his eyes slowly, wincing as his pupils dilated from the brightness. For a while, he just inspected the room from the bed he was in. It seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. The room was large and open, with plants placed strategically close to and away from the windows. There was a wardrobe in the far corner, to his left, and the door was to his right. Just beside the bed was a small table with a vase filled with colorful flowers. The rest of the room was unremarkable.<p>

There was a sound to his right, from behind the door. He stared at it until someone walked in.

Roy Mustang.

He looked down at Edward with his usual apathetic expression. "You're awake." He said, mostly to himself.

"W-What happened?"

Before Mustang could respond, Ed was pummeled with flashbacks. Greed and Envy ganging up on him, Alphonse trying to save him... His brother...his only brother burning... He squeezed his eyes shut to try and stop the onslaught of tears that suddenly attacked, but it was no use. Alphonse...

Mustang laughed. Edward's eyes shot open so fast that it surprised Roy, who immediately stopped. "You think it's funny to lose the only family you have left? You think that's a fucking joke? I'll never see him again because you sent me into an ambush!" He growled, sitting up. His entire body felt like it was on fire, sending him back into pillows. "Fuck-"

Roy stopped him with a hand. "Wait, a second, Elric. You should let me explain myself! I do not think the loss of family is a joke, no. Do not accuse me of such things." He moved to the windows, his back turned to Ed. As he stared out the window, a bird flew by with bright blue feathers. it reminded him of his own brother, who he had actually lost in the war. Unlike Edward, he would never get his brother back. Ever. "What you saw was an illusion, caused by the Philosophers Stone. Greed and Envy used it to escape, because as far as they could tell, you were winning."

"An illusion?" Edward's heart thudded in his chest. "So Al is okay?"

"He's fine. He was never there to begin with. That should have been your first clue, Elric." Roy turned back to Ed and faked a smile. Ed couldn't return it, as his face was contorted in what appeared to be confusion. He was piecing together what had happened, adding the new information. He clenched his fists.

"So they had the Philosopher's Stone?" He asked.

"In a way, yes. There were remnants of it where the illusion had happened. Little shards, like it had been shattered like a simple piece of glass. It was a fake, but a damn powerful one, if I'm to be frank."

Ed stared at the ceiling. His heart sank at the thought of no Philosopher's Stone, but at the same time, he was ecstatic. Al was okay... He turned his head to look at Roy, who was turning to leave. He rose a hand in farewell, but Edward stopped him. There was one little part of the story that he didn't quite understand.

"Who pulled me away from the fire?" He asked, "I know I didn't get these burns from an illusion."

Roy smiled, his hand raised in farewell once again. "Would you like me to send Alphonse in here?"

Without waiting for a response, Roy was gone, and a few moments later, Al stepped into the room. His suit clanked loudly as he took a seat on the too-small chair, but it was a welcome sound for Ed. They sat in silence for a long time before either of them spoke. Alphonse was curious, as always. He had heard the story about what happened, but craved to hear it from Ed.

"What happened, brother?"

Ed sighed. "Apparently, Greed and Envy had a Philosopher's-"

"Really? A Philosopher's stone? They didn't tell me that part!" Al cheered. Ed was certain that if his face wasn't made of metal, he would be smiling. He wished he could see that smile again...

"Probably because it was a fake."

"A fake... no way..."

"Yeah.' Ed sighed again, "that's what i was like when I heard. total bummer. But anyway, they used their fake stone to set up an illusion and made their escape."

Alphonse seemed gripped by the story, but to Ed's dismay, he felt exhaustion begin to blanket him.

"Someone tackled me away from the fire and," He yawned. "brought me here..."

"You look tired, brother... I should go..." Al mumbled, noticing Ed's exhaustion. They sat in silence once again, only this time, Edward was drifting off to sleep and Alphonse was wishing he could hear more of a story. If he had the muscles to do it, he would have frowned. But he merely sighed his own sigh and stood, watching Ed sleep for a few moments before leaving him to his dreams.


	2. The Day is Bright

**Hehe, I know it's only been a couple days, but sorry this took so long to update. I lost my writing abilities for a while there, but I think I got 'em back. I hope this chapter turned out okay. Please review/favorite! Next chapter will be up ASAP!**

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><p>The sky was remarkably clear and the weather beautiful. Spring was in full bloom, so the trees and flowers stood strong toward the light. People strolled down the street with smiles. Edward Elric was among the people, but a smile would not find it's way to his face. Because there was still one unanswered question. It should have been obvious, who saved him, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that Roy Mustang would do such a thing. It wasn't in his nature.<p>

He made his way through the city silently, his hands shoved in his pockets. Every once in a while he would take out his pocket watch and inspect it, looking at the time but not registering it. It was safe to say he was distracted by his own thoughts, and damn it, he wanted to know if it WAS Roy. With a frown, he continued his walk until he reached a park, where he opted to sit on one of the benches beneath a shady looking tree. He stretched and yawned and stared blankly into the sky.

He probably didn't notice Roy sit next to him because of this. So naturally, when he finally looked down and saw someone out of the corner of his eye, sitting extremely close for being a stranger, he was a little shocked. His muscles tensed and he sucked in a breath, which was released when actually did notice who it was. His shock turned to minute frustration. "Damn, Roy, scare me, why don't you?" He mumbled.

Roy smiled and laughed half-halfheartedly. "I apologize for choosing to sit on this public park bench. Would you like me to leave?" Ed sighed and shook his head, 'no', eliciting a similar, if not happier-sounding sigh from Roy. They were silent for a time, simply enjoying the beautiful day, each surrounded by a bubble of awkward tension. It was obvious that both wanted to say something and it seemed that they almost afraid to interrupt if one should start at the same time as the other. Roy was the first to make any actual indication of this desire to speak. He cleared his throat.

"Are you feeling well, Elric?" He asked quietly. "I know it's been a couple weeks since the..." He coughed awkwardly as he searched for a word to describe the day in question, "accident... But I can't have my best alchemist back at work if he's still injured." Ed's jaw nearly dropped from the words coming from Roy's mouth, but he kept his expression neutral.

"I feel fine, actually. I felt pretty damn good after hearing that Al was okay, if I'm to be honest. But I think I'm healed enough to go back to work if you so wish it." He looked down at his hands, inspecting the cool metal of his automail on one and the clean white glove on the other. His gaze slowly trailed up to Roy, who was looking away, then. He looked like he wanted to say more. But something told Ed he wasn't going to. "Roy?"

"Hmmm?" The flame alchemist turned his head slowly to Ed.

"You never answered me when I asked who saved me." He cocked a brow, his face as innocent as he could make it. He was dying to know.

"You'll figure it out one way or another, Fullmetal." He said. A light breeze picked up and a cheery blossom fluttered by the two, completely insignificant but oddly beautiful. Roy watched as it hit the ground and tumbled against the pavement, it's perfect petals tearing from the friction. When it was out of his sight, he stood, his hands shoved in his pockets. "I need to get back to the agency. I have a lot of papers to work through and a lot of missions that need completing. So if you will, hurry back."

With that, the Flame alchemist left Ed to ponder on the question that had already been answered.

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><p>"Where were you, brother?" Al asked as Ed stepped through the door of the small apartment Winry had rented when she came out. It was a cozy place with too much space for only one person. The walls were painted a light brown with pink accents. Everything about the place was homey, except for his grand size, and Ed enjoyed being there very much. If it weren't for the house itself, it was for being with his brother and his best friend.<p>

"I went for a walk." He answered simply. Of course, he would elaborate, because his younger brother would definitely ask more specific questions. But he first made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water, which he barely drank. He took a seat in the living room, curled against the arm of the couch. "I was just thinking about things and walking. I found a park, and wouldn't you know, Al? Roy was there. And he wanted to know if I was well enough to work." Ed shrugged.

If Al could show any sort of facial expression, he would have smiled at his brother. But the metal of the suit prevented such thing, so he relied on his tone of voice and speech in general to convey his moods. "Did you say you were, big brother?" Ed smiled and nodded. "I'm glad that you're going back. You seem so bored without your missions. Just be careful this time, okay?" He chuckled, a metallic version of the chuckle Ed used to love when they were both completely themselves.

"Anything to get closer to the philosophers stone." Ed said, staring at his brother. An awkward silence ensued, in which Ed thought about the attack and the person who saved him. His suspicions about Roy were mounting, but it still seemed too unlike him to save Ed, of all people. It occurred to him, then, that although Al had not been there to see the attack or the rescue, he might have heard something about it. Perhaps he knew. "Al... have you heard anything about who saved me?"

Al gasped, surprised. "You still don't know? I figured by now YOU would have heard, or at least figured it out!" Another metallic laugh and then he said, cheerily, the one name that confirmed the suspicions and made him feel like a complete idiot. "It was Colonel Mustang. Everyone's been talking about it."

Ed's jaw did drop at this. How could have have missed everyone talking about it... for weeks? He combed his fingers through his blond hair. "Everyone?"

Al nodded.

"How... did I miss it?" He looked at Al, confused, and then laughed. Heartily. He was so dense.

But the fact that he knew it made him feel better. It also posed another question, though. This one Roy would have to answer.

"Why didn't HE tell me that?"


	3. Chapter 3

The only thing Ed was truly aware of was his own thundering heartrate. As he made his way down the hallway to Roy's office, his mind wandered around all the possibilites of why Roy hadn't told him the that Ed thought up seemed ridiculuous and extremely unlikely. It was a simple question to answer, but the Flame alchemist was constantly skirting around it.

Ed shook his head as he neared the door to Roy's office and exhaled a painful breath. He turned the knob and opened the door, sliding in ungracefully. Roy didn't regard him as he did so; he merely kept his focus on the papers before him. Ed cleared his throat several times before giving up on trying to get him to look up. Instead, he said, his voice more shaky than he would have liked, "Why didn't you tell me it was you?"

Still nothing. Growling to himself, Ed sat in a chair near the door and waited.

And waited.

Until finally, Roy sighed and looked up, right at his face. There was a smile somwhere in his eyes, one that said, "You're a real fool, Edward Elric, for not seeing this sooner." And Ed was frightened and relieved all at the same time to hear it said out loud. He waited, his ears cocked back like a dog would do if it were listening real hard, except it was harder to tell because... well, Ed wasn't a dog. Roy seemed to be struggling with himself, or maybe his words, as he looked at Ed and back at his desk.

"Because... I was afraid I'd have to explain myself." He laughed dryly. "Which I wound up having to do anyway, because you have a problem with digging for information. I guess I should have expected no less." He shrugged and rearranged some papers, which was more of a nervous act than a necessary one. Ed waited still, to hear what was going to be said, even though he was beginning to figure it all into the big picture. His feet tapped uncontrollably on the floor, his own way to show his nervous anticipation.

"You see, Elric. I do care about each and every single state alchemist under my watchful eye, even if I do not seem to." He looked up and took in a deep breath. "When I see someone in danger, I usually sit back because most of my men can handle most situations by themselves, and I only step in when I find it completely necessary. Your situation was handled how it was on two accounts; One, it was obvious that the humunculi had you in some sort of trance, and upon further inspection, it was found to be an illusion created by the philosopher's stone. In that case, you were not in the power to fight back, under any circumstances, and I found it necessary to intervene."

Ed nodded in understanding.

"The second account is a very personal one, and it pains me to admit something of it's nature. Edward, I am not one to pour my heart out to anyone, let it be known." There was a long silence, thick and choking in the room as both regarded each other with a mutual understanding of the importance of the words about to be spoken. Roy sighed for the millionth time, combing his fingers through his raven-black hair before fixing his gaze on Ed. "You have been a state alchemist for a long time now, right? It goes without saying that I have watched you grow as an alchemist over the years, for I am your superior. But..." He paused and looked away from Ed, "I have watched you grow in other ways too. Physically... mentally. I understand that may sound weird, and maybe it is, I don't know. But the bottom line, Edward, is that... the second account is that you have grown very dear to me, and I have developed... a liking to you, for lack of a better phrase."

Ed released a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. His mind was reeling with the new information, finally spoken aloud, but still so utterly surprising. Roy was not only a lot older than him, but also completely different in terms of personality and interests. All the years they had spent together had really done nothing toward building a relationship, other than put them into situations that called for risking their lives. Ed remained in a dumbfounded silence as Roy sat there, his face expertly hiding the roiling emotions inside him. He felt almost stupid for admitting something, especially since it wasn't exactly recieved well by Ed.

"I suppose now that you've gotten your answer, you should go." He said. "Perhaps you understand, now, why I had kept it to myself." Roy picked up a stack of papers and straightened them, setting them back on top of other messy papers. Ed didn't look up as the Flame alchemist stood and made his way toward the door. The idea of Roy... liking him... His mind churned, flipping the idea around and playing with it. When the door opened, he still didn't look up.

"Edward, are you going to leave, or not?" Roy asked, reaching down to lay a hand on Ed's wrist. It was more of an offer to help Ed up than anything else, not meant to be anything more than that. But as Ed played with the idea of being with Roy, it became more and more appealing. He had always found Roy's demeanor to be almost dry, but he had also always found the superior to be rather desirable in his physical attributes. Perhaps giving him a chance would help both of them get to know each other a little better...

Ed grabbed Roy's wrist and pulled, sending the other off balance so that he tripped and fell into the chair with him. Flustered and embarrassed, Roy tried to pull himself back up, but Ed kept a firm grip on his hand. Without so much as a warning, he leaned in toward Roy's face, smiling slightly. His lips just barely brushed against Roy's.

"What are you two doing?"

Somehow, between the time Ed had pulled Roy down and he leaned in to kiss him, General Armstrong had made an appearance.


End file.
